When do we stop skipping?

From the second her mom opened the car door.....I could see the excitement in the face of this precious little girl. She and mom were going to Dunkin Donuts and she could barely contain herself. Do you remember being that excited over things? When it felt like you could jump out of you skin from joy. At the same time I also saw the moms approach to going to Dunkin Donuts. She acted......adult like...staring posture..controlled steps.....and a look of something that was nothing more than a repetition from past days and past yrs...... Why is that? Do we learn to lessen the joy we show towards each days moments? Or is it simply that children see things with magic eyes. Each trip with mommy being one of untold adventure and excitement. Shouldn't going with your daughter offer the same to mommy?

A child-like man is not a man whose development has been arrested; on the contrary, he is a man who has given himself a chance of continuing to develop long after most adults have muffled themselves in the cocoon of middle-aged habit and convention.........Aldous Huxley

So is that it......we have fallen pray to convention and habit??..My god I hate to think so!! But with that in mind, this precious 7 yr old....SKIPPED with joy towards a simple donut.....and her mom walked stoically with her left arm bobbing from the rhythm of her daughters skip. It was then. I pondered....WHEN DO WE STOP SKIPPING? Is it an age?...Is it a point of development?....Is it a Natural progression or is it a regression? when we stop, have we gained maturity. or lost innocence?

What is skipping?....why do all kids do it?...Is it taught?..or a natural form of youthful dancing?...Is it exercise or expression? Is it a controlled act or an uncontrolled response to sheer jubilance? whatever the answers are to those questions doesn't matter......its seems an act that lives life. and not simply moves through life, in an adult stride. So I repeat......when do we stop skipping? My answer is as follows.....As adults with endless things on our minds our life has bits and pieces of many issues....that replace a good chunk of Passion. Passion is what picks up that first leg to begin the skipping. In the case of this little girl it was going to dunkin donuts with mom....or even more specifically... simply being with mom.

Where did our trips to dunkin donuts go? Is our life so mundane. and busy. and stressful......and cluttered. that we no longer have the passion to pick up that first leg for our very own skip?...But don't forget, we need to keep up proper appearance....an adult skipping......well ..that's .........you know.........silly looking...embarrassing.............isn't it? So as adults we are left to DO things....make a list each day and check off the things we NEED to do. Its a shame.

This October brought an extended season. and I was locking up with gorgeous keepers everyday. When the fishing is this good I can hardly contain myself FROM doing it.....WAITING to do it.....TALKING about doing it.........and so on. If you LOVE power fishing like I do, you understand. On one occasion this linesiders first run was long enough to make the line dispersal from my Van Staal sing like a violin concerto. This big foam feeder suddenly decided to attempt another strategy when she realized that going back out to the deep blue sea would not free her from my gamagatsu...........so she took a hard left and raced down the shore.

I can tell when I have a very solid hook up. This lady would feel my thumb on her front lip barring any stupid moves on my part..she was hooked!!! If you let a big cow run the shore many times they will try and grind you off on the coarse rocks and ocean debris that accumulates in shallower water. If you don't chase her....you may wave good bye to her.......So I went with her.

The line I had gathered back on her first sprint to England was being lost again with this parallel coast line run she was doing. I varied my speed chasing her,to assure I keep her in front of me and not to the side. I was totally in my environment. As happy as I could possibly be. Prouder than a peacock. I was as joyous as a kid going to dunkin donuts with her mom.............so you know what happened ......don't you?

The ambulation I used to pursue my fleeing fighter was of course.....SKIPPING. I didn't do it exactly like the girl did......but skipping isn't taught....there is no right way. My style was a loping, sideways, hopping performance!!. Skipping is when legs talk and tell the world how alive you are..how happy you are.......how full of passion you are. It was clear....that for me..tussling with big fish on a beach brings back..... skipping.

So when her panting gill plate on the sand was evidence of a good catch. I returned her to calmer waters......relaxed her as i congratulated her on a stout fight............and released her. But I also landed the answer to When do we Stop Skipping?.....we don't!!!! We stop doing things that will still make us skip!. Be sure to remember, this is your life......not always meant for others to use or be part of........if you have removed your passions because you are to busy now...Bring them back.

Do things that make you excited way before you do them.

Do things that excite you when you remember the last time you did them.

Duplicating the little girls skip to dunkin donuts......only requires your own version of going to dunkin donuts with your mommy...Mt equivelant.. is surfcasting...and low and behold it is here. that even at my age.......skipping still comes naturally.

Love life like a child........remember what you need to live it unbridled...and if at that point you find yourself skipping...be thankful...

Some of the reasons why I find this to be perhaps the best all around artificial from shore is because you can fish it day or night, with a teaser or without, preferably slow but can be retrieved any speed you wish.